US1605111A - Shade roller - Google Patents

Description

Patented Nov. 2, 1926.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS w. HOLT AND JOHN LEVAN, OF. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIeNoRs ro THE CUR- TAI'N SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

i sIIADE ROLLER.

Application filed September 11, 1922. Serial N 0. 587,298.

Our invention has to do particularly with the provision, in metal shade rollers, for adapting the same readily to window open ings of varying width, for the utilization of standards in manufacture, for efiecting a secure noiseless mounting of the shade axle within the roller, for ease of assembly and dis-assembly of the roller and shade; to gether with other. advantageous novelfeatures which will be apparent from thefollowing more detailed description of the in vention as predicated upon exemplary embodiments of the same illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein Fig. l'is a side elevation of a roller embodying one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through one end of Fig. 1 taken on the line 2 2;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. i is a cross-section on the line 4-4 of either Fig. 1 or Fig. 3; and v Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

As distinguished from wooden shaderollers which can be readily .cut to any length by the purchaser, metal shade rollers are difiicult of adaptation to window openings of varying width by cutting to shorter length. Closure caps for the open ends of metal rollers are usually flanged to efiect a secure and sightly roller end. and these end caps are ordinarily permanently secured within the roller, thus rendering it additionally difficult to shorten a roller after it leaves the factory. This entails the making up of rollers in the factory of various lengths to be kept in stock or in particular lengths to meet the requirements of the customer as to length. Thedisadvantage of this construction reaches to the provision of different lengths of axles where the same extends throughout the length of the roller and projects fromeach end to form trunr nions for engagement with the'hanging brackets. Furthermore, wooden rollers have the shades readily attached thereto by means of tacks or clips whereas the attachmentof the shade to a metal roller encounters difficulty, which has been met, by various expedients, notably that provided in patents of the prior art where a lock seam of the metal forms a channel having a constricted slit-like opening along one side, the hem of the shade being positioned within the channel from one end and thus interlocked directly with the roller by means of the hem alone or supplemented by a rod inserted within the hem. The insertion of the hem and rod within the channel has presupposed an open end to the channel. WVhere a flanged cap is employed however the open end of the channel is thereby closed and it is difficult if not impossible to remove or renew the shade as the end caps have been assembled with the roller.

According to our invention provision is made for the manufacture of these lookseamed roller barrels in quantities which can be shortened to any desired length without, difficulty; and the provision of an axle of uniform length for all lengths of rollers, the axles being of less length than the roller and one of the trunnions beingprovided in the closure cap; also for positioning the hem of the shade within thechannel of the lock seam after the end cap is associated with the roller barrel, either permanently or removably; also improved means for permanently associating the end caps with the barrel without brazing or soldering; also the provision of a journal bearing for the axle within the roller to eliminate noise due to contact of metal with metal; together with other advantageous constructional features.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 5 of the drawing it will be observed that in this embodiment the roller barrel 11 has associated therewith end caps 12 comprising a cylindrical boss-like portion13 and a flange 14. The boss 13 has one or more radial apertures 15 underlying the metal of the barrel adjacent its ends and into these apertures 15 the metal of the barrel is upset as at 16 by. a

prick punch or the like, whereby the barrel and end caps are held securely in assembled relation. The axle 17 in this instance is shown as extending throughout the length of the roller and projecting beyond the end caps to form a polygonal trunnion 18 and a round trunnion 19 for engagement with the usual brackets; although obviously that form of axle shown in the other figures of the drawing may be employed in connection with the barrel and cap assembly of the figures under discussion. The barrel 11, as

more clearly seen in Fig. 5, is provided with a loelnseam at and is interiorly depressed as at 21 to form a longitudinal channel 22 within which engages the hem 23 of the shade 24 while a rod 25 may be inserted within the hem for the purpose of expanding thesame to prevent its being drawn out of the channel 22 through the side slit 26. The shade with its hem and the expanding rod forming no part of the invention in dicated in dotted merely forthe purpose of clarity in the description. The ends of the channel 22 being closed by the flanges 14 oi? the end caps it would be impossible to remove the shade from the roller or insert a new shade from the channel ends. To rovide for this contingency the walls of the channel and lock seam are cut by a transverse slitat 27 and outwardly beyond the slit are compacted as indicated at 28 in Fig. 2 whereby the channel is provided with an open end at the slit through which the hem of the shade and its expanding member, where used, may be fed into the channel in the direction indicated by the curved arrow in Fig. 2. The seamed wall of the channel may then be bent inwardly as indicated in dotted lines at 29 to prevent the shade working out of the channel in use although this is not necessary. It will thus be seen that the end capsformno obstruction to the placing in position of a shade whereby the rollers may be made up complete with the caps assembled and shades may thereafter be affixed suited to the requirements of the particular surroundings where the shade is to be employed.

Having particular reference now to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs.

3 and 4, the barrel isprecisely thesame as in the instance previously described, having the lock seam providing a channel for the reception and retention of the shade hem. However the cross-cut 27 is omitted for the reason that the cylindrical portion 310i the end cap 32 has a snug-frictional engagement within the open end ofthe barrel and the cap flange33 closes the open end of the lock seam channel. For the insertion or removal of the shade hem it is only necessary to slip the end cap out of the barrel end andfto re place the same after the attachment of the shade. n V

In this form of construction one of the trunnions 34- is carried by the end cap 32 and the axle terminates short of that end of thebarrel. The end otthe axle 3 5 is journalled within an interiorly disposed bung of composite character ill that it is composed of a metallic disk 36 and a non-metallic disk 37 secured together .side by side. This bung is provided in its periphery with a notch at 40 which engages with the notch rib 21 formed by the inner wall of the channel 22 whereby'the bung and barrel are connected sui'roun din against angular movement while permitting of the sliding of the bung into position with in the barrel longitudinally. The inner end otthe axle 35' is journalled within a central aperture of the non-metallic disk 37 while the metallic disk 36 has a central opening g the axle but out of contact therewith. A. torsion spring 41 surrounds the axle 85. and is itself surrounded by a fabric sleeve 42 preventing contact between the spring and the metal of the barrel. One end of the spring 41 is anchored to the axle at 43 while the other end at 4: 1 transiixes the two disks 36 and 37 forming the bung.

The composite bung 363T may also be employed in connection with the shaft 17 extending the fulllength of the roller as previously described in connection with Figs. if and 2, its principal advantage in such case being theready assemblage of the spring and axle previous to their insertion into the barrel as distinguished from earlier c m.=-1t1.'uetions in which one end of the spring was anchored directly to the barrel or cap instead of indirectly to the barrel through the bung.

The particular species of the invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is covered in my divisional application Serial No. 123,859, filed July 21, 1926.

lVe claim:

1. In a shade roller, a metal barrel provided along one wall with a longitudinal channel having a constricted side opening for the reception and retention of a shade. margin of greater thickness than the adjoining portion of the shade, and caps closing the open ends of the. barrel, the shade retaining channel having an axially open end disposed at a short distance inwardly fromone end cap, whereby to permit the insertion of the shade margin into the channel Without removing the end cap.

2. In a shade roller, a metal barrel provided exteriorly thereof with a longitudinal channel having a constricted opening along one of the side walls thereof for the reception. and retention of a shade margin of greater thickness thanthe adjoining portion of the shade,and caps closing the open ends of the barrel, the walls of the said retaining channel being cross-cut adjacent one end of the roller and compacted between the cross-cut. and such end to close the opening in the channel whereby to permit the insertion oi the shade margin into the channel without removing the end cap.

3. In a shade roller, a metal barrel having a lock sea-m forming an exterior channel with a constricted slot along one of the side walls thereof for the reception and retention of a shade hem having an expanding member therein, and end caps closing the open ends of the barrel, the walls of'the seam being cross-cut at a point inwardly from one end too of the roller and compacted between the cross-cut and such end to close the channel, whereby to permit the insertion of the hem and expanding member into the channel without removing the end cap.

4. In a shade roller. a metal barrel having an interior longitudinal rib, a bung within the barrel intermediate its ends and provided with a peripheral notch slidably engaging the rib, an axle disposed longitudin ally within the barrel and journalled in the hung, a torsion spring having one end anchored to the axle and the other to the bung, the bung comprising metallic and non-metallic portions secured together side by side and centrally apertured to receive the axle, the metallic portion being engaged by the spring and notched to interlock with the rib on the barrel, and the aperture in the metallic portion being suiiiciently large to confine the bearing contact of the axle to the non-metallic portion.

5. In a shade roller, a hollow metal barrel having a longitudinally extending seam within the same, an axle disposed longitudinally within the barrel, and an end cap in the form of a single sheet metal stamping having a cylindrical portion seated within the barrel end, said cylindrical portion being longitudinally grooved to receive and interlock laterally with the seam in the barrel, the inner end of the cylindrical portion of the cap'being closed except for a central aperture for the reception of the axle, and the outer end of the cylindrical portion being open to form a recess in the cap and being radially flanged for abutment with the barrel end.

6. In a shade roller, a sheet metal barrel having a longitudinally extending lock steam in which is formed a constricted slot along the barrel for the receptionand retention of a shade margin of greater thickness than the adjoining portion of the shade, and caps for closing the open ends of the barrel, the outer wall of the slot in the lock seam being interrupted at a point spaced inwardly from one end of the barrel, whereby to permit the shade margin to be inserted into the slot through the interruption in the wall'witlr out removing the end cap.

7. In a shade roller, a sheet metal barrel having a longitudinally extending lock seam in which is formed a constricted slot along the barrel for the reception and retention of a shade margin of greater thickness than the adjoining portion of the shade, and caps for closing the open ends of the barrel, the outer wall of the slot in the lock seam be ing interrupted at a point spaced inwardly from one end of the barrel a distance not to exceed the distance desired between the edge of the shade and the end of the barrel, whereby to permit the shade margin to be inserted into the slot through the interruption in the wall without removing the end cap.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

THOMAS W. HOLT. JOHN LEVAN.

Images